FALL COLORS, A LITTLE HISTORY AND GREAT FOOD

It's fall and in this corner of Germany it shows.  The colors are fantastic and rival those in New England. From Hansjorg and Silke's back balcony one looks out on the hills that surround their small town.  The hills are bathed in the colors of fall.  Of course the best way to experience this time of the year is to take a hike in the woods.

With Hansjorg in the lead, since he professes to know where he is going, we set off on an uphill climb through the trees.  I can't stop taking pictures of the vivid colors that surround us.  The pathways are littered with the fallen leaves, so thick in places it is like walking on a soft cushion.

I have never been on a hike with Hansjorg where he didn't change our route multiple times along the way.  I think it's just his nature to "see what's down that path", as he consults his map frequently, changing directions on a whim.  Perhaps he's just lost, but we do manage to end up at a guest house along the trail, so all is well.. Of course he has many trails to choose from in the Black Forest.

The next day we headed off to the wine growing region in Alsace, France for some history about WW I. Hartmannsweilerkoph  is a rocky peak in the Vosges Mountains standing 3,100 feet above the Rhine Valley. From 1914 till 1918 the French and Germans battled it out from their respective trenches on this mountain top.   Through the course of the war, thirty thousand deaths were reported here with a majority of these among the French.  After about 18 months of fierce combat, both sides began to focus most of their attention on the western front farther north. Only enough men to hold the lines were left at Hartmannswillerkopf, and they remained relatively stable for the remainder of the war, generally only artillery exchanges taking place.

Today, the area is a French national monument. There is a museum and a cemetery at the site, and it is also possible to explore the extensive trench system. Because the lines were static for such a long period, the trenches are very well preserved, especially on the German side of the mountain.  You can still see many of the trenches and craters made by the extensive shelling.

 EXPLORING THE BUNKERS

STEEL LOOKOUT POST, ROOM FOR ONE

We drove back down the mountain and along the Route du Vin to the village of Equisheim. Equisheim is a medieval walled town surrounded by the vineyards of Alsace. Many of the buildings in the town date back to the 1200's and are constructed in the timber frame style.

A traditional dish in Alsace is the Tarte Flambee, so of course we had to give it a try. Made with a very thin pizza like crust, it is covered in sour cream, onion, cheese and small pieces of bacon.  I  heard it was really good and in my haste to try it, I took a bite before I snapped a picture.

Another great day spent with Hansjorg and Silke topped off with a German style "cook it yourself" dinner. With a heated broiler type thingie on the table and little cooking trays, you choose your ingredients from different cheeses, different kinds of meat, onions and mushrooms, then cook your own.  Put the finished product on potatoes and eat.   Along with salad, a great meal with good friends.

ON TO GERMANY

We climb board Frances' high speed train, the TGV early on Sunday morning and head for Basel, Switzerland.  It was raining when we left Paris, so it was a good time to leave. After 2 hours and 50 minutes we arrive at the station in Basel where  we get special greeting. Frank, Hansjorg's son and his girlfriend, Iris pulled out all the stops to make us feel welcome.  Of course Frank got a lot of stares from other people, but we really appreciated the welcome. 

After a short drive from Basel and a stop for lunch, we arrive at Hansjorg and Silke's home in Zell im Wiesental.  Located in the southwest corner of Germany, we are in the Black Forest and just a few short miles from both Switzerland and the Alsace region of France. We will spend a week in Zell and then Cathie and I will go with Hansjorg to wherever he takes us.  Silke must go back to work and will miss out on all the fun.

HOME FOR A WEEK

Like me, Hansjorg is a hiker and in the Black Forest it is about hiking.  The area around Zell is crisscrossed with hiking trails, so on our first full day we took a hike.  We  had a little rain, some fog and some sunshine. As is the norm when hiking in these parts, there are guest houses or hostels at various points.  So you plan your hike for a stop at a guest house for lunch or if walking for multiple days a place to spend the night.  With Hansjorg leading you never know how far you will walk as he usually changes the route as we walk along.

  

The trails are all signposted as are all intersections.  The yellow diamonds are trails in the local area that lead to the Westweg,  a long distance hiking trail in Germany.  The Westweg or Westway is signified by a red diamond and blue diamond trails are major trails leading to the Westweg.  With Hanjorg in the lead, we change routes as we went along and ended up with a great 8.5 mile hike in the Black Forest.

 LADIES PREPARED FOR THE RAIN

 THE GUEST HOUSE APPEARS

 FORTIFICATION FOR THE REST OF THE HIKE

 LEBERKNODELLSUPPE (liver dumpling soup)

Don't knock it until you try it.

 CHAPEL IN THE MOUNTAINS

BLACK FOREST VIEW

With Switzerland just a short drive away, the next day we headed to the Top of Europe. To get there you need to take a couple of train rides on cog wheel railway trains that can climb very steep grades.  So we leave from Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland which is in a beautiful valley at the foot of the alps for the first segment of the journey.

After about 50 minutes we arrive at Kleine Scheidegg our first stop and a station about halfway to the top. Here we have some time for lunch and a short walk to look around. We are at 6,745 feet and there are beautiful views all around.

LOOKING BACK

The mountain in the middle of the photograph is Monch at 13,475 feet.  Most Americans have never heard of. this peak,  but the one on the left is the Eiger and at 13,026 is more recognizable to us.  The face of this mountain is a very challenging technical climb and many who attempt it don't make it and some die in the attempt.  

 THE EIGER AND THOSE WHO CHOSE TO TAKE THE TRAIN

On the rocks around this lake are the names of people who died attempting to climb the Eiger.  There are  a lot of names of people from all over the world.

THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING

So after a short while we board the second train for the ride on  the highest rail line to the highest rail station in Europe at 11,333 feet.  The train, another cog wheel train climbs, through the mountain in a tunnel that is 5.7 miles long.  This tunnel was build between 1898 and 1912 and the station at the top is inside the mountain. At the station there is a restaurant, gift shops, and viewing areas.  There is also a tunnel into the glacier.  Even here you are not yet at the Top of Europe.  You ride and elevator to the Sphinx, the viewing area at the highest point.  Here you can opt to go outside or to take in the views from the inside.  While we were there the wind was blowing at 50 MPH, the temperature was 27 degrees which made the wind chill a balmy 7 degrees.  Needless to say, we didn't spend much time on the outside.  The view to the north was something to behold, but to the south we couldn't see a thing due to the clouds.

 INSIDE THE GLACIER  

 ON THE VIEWING PLATFORM

 MONCH

THE HALFWAY POINT BELOW

SUNSET ON THE ALPS

On the way down, one of the glaciers calved and it created an avalanche down into the valley.  No photos though as it happened so fast.  As we approached the midpoint station the conductor on the told us that the winds were very strong at the station at we were to hurry to the next train.  She explained that if the wind reached 99 KPH, (60 mph) they couldn't run the train and we would have to stay overnight at the mid point. I don't know how fast the wind was going, but it was blowing pretty hard when we changed trains.  We returned home late and ready for bed, but it was a great day in Switzerland.

PARIS....THE FINALE

We had a great time in Paris, walking the neighborhoods, riding the Metro and of course eating.  Each morning a fresh baguette and croissants from the bakery a block away from our apartment, out for dinner each evening about 7:30.  In the French style we had a slow and late dinner where we were able to unwind from our busy day.  Eating in the neighborhood around our apartment proved to be the most economical choice as near the tourist sights food got really expensive.  Take $8 for a cup of coffee with no refills near Notre Dame.  I got to eat some of the things you just can get in the US, like fore gras, Confit de Canard, and warm goat cheese salad.  I have said before that we walked a lot so I'm hoping the calorie output equaled the calorie intake. 

WARM GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Getting around Paris was a breeze once you figured out the Metro.  It is fast and efficient, sometimes crowded, not always clean, but it goes just about everywhere.  Our Paris Pass included 7 days on the Metro.  So with the Metro and our feet Paris was easy to navigate.

We did other stuff not previously mentioned here.  We didn't see Madame Tussauds wax museum in London, so we went to Musee Grevin as it was on our Paris Pass.  Some of the figures we really good, but one of the most interesting things was a video on how they made the figures.

We took a one hour tour on the Batobus on the River Seine.  If you go I suggest taking the night tour as  you really don't see too much at river level.  Also it was more crowded during the day and our boat was filled with school children who were very noisy.

We took in a wine tasting which advertised that you would be taught all about French wine and the way to savor it.  It was in English, but the French accent of the young man who did the presentation was so thick, that we understood only about half of what he said. Still we got to drink wine for free as the cost was covered by our Paris Pass.

We walked some of the Passages and Galeries which are old historic covered arcades that today are filled with shops and cafes.  The grand-daddy of them all is the Galerie Lafayette, which is actually a huge high end department store, but the glass roof inside is a must see.

Under the Ach de Triomphe, lies the tomb of the French Unknown Soldier from WW I. Each evening the French light the flame in a ceremony which includes members of the military and veterans.  On the night we were there, school children also participated and one child was chosen to light the flame.  The police close down the traffic circle, at rush hour mind you, and the procession marches to the arch.  Quite something to see, although our vantage point was not the best.

At not too good video I made from the top of the Arc de Triomphe

I really enjoyed walking around our neighborhood.  Below are some random photos taking on my/our walks.

DOOR TO OUR COURT YARD

 OUR STREET WITH PARK ON THE RIGHT

A FEW STEPS AWAY

 BIKE RENTAL ALL OVER THE CITY

ROLLS ROYCE WITH CALIFORNIA PLATES